The Legends of the Jews tells us about Amram, father of Moses, and his extraordinary piety. He wasn't just a Levite, already a tribe known for its devotion. No, Amram stood out even among them. Ginzberg's retelling paints him as one of the few so utterly without sin that, were it not for the decree of mortality hanging over all humankind since Adam and Eve, death would have had no claim on him. Imagine that!
Who else achieved such a state? Benjamin, Jesse the father of David, and Chileab, another of David’s sons, are mentioned in the same breath. Four individuals so immaculate, so untouched by wrongdoing.
But Amram’s story goes even deeper. It's tied to the very presence of the Shekhinah (שְׁכִינָה), the divine presence, in the world. Think of it as the tangible manifestation of God’s nearness.
Originally, according to tradition, the Shekhinah dwelt among us. But then came the sin of Adam, and it began a slow, sorrowful retreat. Up, up, up it went, through each of the seven heavens, driven further away by humanity’s misdeeds.
First, Adam's transgression sent it to the lowest heaven. Cain's fratricide banished it to the second. The generation of Enoch, the builders of the Tower of Babel, the wicked Egyptians, the inhabitants of Sodom... each sin, each act of defiance, pushed the Shekhinah higher and higher, until it resided in the seventh and highest heaven, furthest from humankind.
It's a powerful image, isn't it? A world slowly losing its connection to the divine.
But here's where Amram and his ancestors come in. According to the legends, six righteous men—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kohath, and Amram himself—each drew the Shekhinah back down, one heaven at a time. As we find in Midrash Rabbah, each good deed, each act of devotion, served as a step, a rung on a ladder, bringing God's presence closer to Earth.
Then came Moses, the seventh righteous man, who completed the task. Through him, the Shekhinah descended all the way to Earth, to dwell among humanity once more. What an incredible responsibility, and what an incredible legacy!
Amram's life, therefore, wasn't just about personal piety. It was about mending a broken connection, about bringing the divine back into the world. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What small act of righteousness can we do today to draw the Shekhinah just a little bit closer?